


Before the Dawn

by OlicityIBelieve



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Nanda Parbat, Season 3 speculations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-03-13 05:54:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3370295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OlicityIBelieve/pseuds/OlicityIBelieve
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a stolen moment between Oliver and Felicity before Oliver goes to fight Ra's Al Ghul for an epic final confrontation</p>
            </blockquote>





	Before the Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> This scene would happen in a moderately close future - Ideally, somewhere around 3x21 - 3x22…  
> Oliver is about to fight Ra’s Al Ghul in Nanda Parbat for an epic final confrontation – the scene takes place near Islamabad, Pakistan, in a hotel room.
> 
> Thank you to the amazing Sue (Alias Skimmy77) to beta my first fic! This wouldn't have been possible without her!

When she opened her eyes, the darkness surrounded her. It took her a few seconds to realize she was awake. There was no light, no glow in the small room she was in, nothing to help her distinguish her dreams from reality. It was dark, so dark. She had always been afraid of the dark, the fear never leaving her when she grew up. She learned to live with it, pushing away her own demons, rejecting the irrational twinge in her gut when there was no light to save her. 

This time was different. She felt safe, protected. The obscurity was no longer there to threaten her. It was gloomy protection against what was waiting for her tomorrow. As long as it was night, she would be safe. They would be safe. A shiver ran through her spine, leaving goose bumps on her exposed skin. He might have felt it somehow as his arm tightened around her naked waist. She pressed against his torso in a desperate attempt to absorb the warmth radiating from his body. Her fingers brushed along the arm that rested on her waist, from the elbow, slowly back to his fingers. She intertwined her fingers with his and brought their joined hands to her lips to gently kiss his knuckles. She felt his smile and his sigh of contentment on her neck.   
He pulled her even closer, molding his body around her smaller frame, resting his face against hers. He slowly opened the hand she kissed a few seconds before, cupping her cheek, tucking it between the pillow and her face. He brushed her face lightly and murmured into her ear, “Sleep Felicity, we have time.”

She let out a heavy sigh and leaned against the warmth of his palm. She closed her eyes, forcing her fears to go away, to leave her alone for the few hours she had left with the man she loved. The beating of his heart against her back, the symbol of the pervasive life in him, rocked her back to sleep. 

When she woke up, her fear was not triggered by the darkness anymore but by the loss of his body against hers. She sat up quickly, looking for him, terrified that he might have left without a goodbye. Without a possible farewell. She scanned the small and stern bedroom rapidly. Her eyes found him despite the darkness, in his cargo pants, shirtless in the humid night of Islamabad, elbows leaning against the railing of the balcony, his gaze fixed on the horizon. 

Silently, she stood up, covering her body with his shirt, and she walked cautiously toward him. He must have been deep in thought as he shuddered slightly when she leaned against the balcony, facing the same direction as him. Her forearm touched his and immediately he laced his fingers with hers, contact between them becoming a necessity.

Islamabad was still asleep, the light of the city almost invisible in such obscurity and so far from the town. Felicity turned her face toward Oliver’s, scanning his face, trying to read his expression in the darkness of the night. 

He couldn’t look at her, not now. Not now that he was aware of how precious she was to him. Not now that after all the mistakes they’d made, what they built could be lost. Not now that he could lose everything he had always dreamed about. But to be free and live a life with her, he had to take the risk to lose everything. He had to end this today and face Ra’s Al Ghul. Once and for all. 

“Yao Fei used to say that it’s always darkest before the dawn.” 

His voice was almost inaudible in the silence of the night. She chuckled imperceptibly, shaking her head in disbelief, a sad smile on her face. Nothing could represent their situation more accurately than this. It took her a few seconds to gather her emotions before she was able to speak.

“Oliver…” was the only thing she was able to say before her voice cracked under the pressure of her feelings and the fear of losing him. He reached out for her, pulling her desperately to him. She crashed her face against his chest, still mesmerized by the sensation of his skin against hers. Her arms reached for his shoulder blades, eager to hold on to him, to keep him close to her as long as possible. She knew there was nothing she could do to avoid the inevitable. Today she could lose him. Forever. Or they could be free. Forever. The intensity of the situation led her to overcome her anger toward Malcolm Merlyn and Oliver’s choices a few days ago. Petrified of making the same mistake again and again, she had confessed her feelings to Oliver before it was too late. Making this very moment the most painful and beautiful experience they had ever shared.

They stayed like this for a few more minutes, his right hand stroking her hair in a motion of love and tenderness for the woman who had given him the strength to fight and to win. His left hand circled her waist, rubbing the small of her back through the fabric of his shirt in a desperate attempt to calm her fears. 

Gently, he cupped her face with both hands, lifting her head slightly. Their eyes locked, expressing what they hadn’t had time to say. What they had been afraid to say. The mistakes they had made. The love they were feeling for each other at this very moment. The fear of a future that could disappear in an instant. 

Oliver closed his eyes for a second, embracing the solemnity of the moment. He opened them again, immortalizing forever the sight of the woman he loved in his arms. He leaned toward her, whispering “I love you,” before overtaking her lips for a long kiss. 

Her arms reached for his neck and she pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. She pulled away from him ever so slightly and in a breath, murmured “I love you, Oliver,” before kissing him again. He tightened his grasp on her, not willing to let her go.

When he finally broke the kiss, there was a smile on Oliver’s face. He was not looking at Felicity anymore but behind her. Confused by the serene look on his face, she turned her head toward the horizon, looking for the reason behind his sudden change. When she noticed it, the very same feeling overwhelmed her and she smiled. 

The sun was rising.


End file.
